Sharpening Skills

In 2013, a large group of family and friends headed to experience the outback of Bryce Canyon, Utah. We were in a propane run cabin and laughter filled the air every campfire. Prior to us leaving for this trip, I asked one of the family members going, if she’d teach a group of us how to watercolor. This family member is a truly remarkable gifted artist. With some reluctance, she agreed, and I was extremely excited. On the wooden balcony overlooking an open pasture of grazing longhorns and the stunning view of Bryce Canyon above, Watercoloring 101 began. We learned basic brush strokes, types of brushes, the difference between the amount of water used, watercolor paint quality, and the importance paper can play in a piece. Then she said, “Play!” She gave us artistic freedom to “mess” with different paints, colors, blending, paper- basically everything she just showed us. I believe her method of teaching of learning exploration is the reason I still continue to watercolor today.

This palette of pure watercolors looks way easier than it
actually is.

Now in 2015, I would be open to trying new techniques or mastering come concepts I still have difficulty with. I would greatly like to working on blending pure watercolors. I tend to use watercolor crayons or pencils because I prefer the sharp and brightness they reveal. In my opinion, I would think to claim yourself to be a watercolor artist; you’d better know how to blend the colors correctly to get the intended results.

It’s hard to express a time frame for this process. Art is an ongoing craft always needing attention. To explain this in more detail I turn to Danny Gregory, and truly remarkable artist and gifted writer:

“Learning the tried-and-true ways of making art is not necessarily the way to make great art. It is simply the way to rehash the lessons we’ve already learned, to make more art that is ready familiar. Instead you want to create new and exciting directions, to take risks, to see the world afresh, to find answers to new questions. Learning to draw is not like cooking Boeuf Bourguignon, a set of steps one can follow from raw ingredients to final delicious product. Instead it is a voyage, an excursion into the wilderness, an adventure that is mainly rewarding for its own sake, not for its results.”

Resources and Websites:

Aunt Dolo- my first teacher and artist companion

Danny Gregory

Brenda Swenson- website has great tutorials 

1. Keeping a Watercolor Sketchbook 
2. Steps to Success in Watercolor

Creative Thursday

The Painting Workbook